The Bridge

The Bridge. . Briefly called the Bowness Bridge during its construction in 1910-11, this structure has been known for many years as the Shouldice Bridge. Since its construction, the bridge has provided an invaluable transportation link between Bowness and Calgary., Originally built by John Hextall at a cost of $75,000, this steel truss structure measures 118 meters long by 8 meters wide and is supported by two concrete piers. When first built, it was travelled by pedestrians, horses and carts, but by June 1912, the Municipal Railway line had been extended to Bowness Park and the bridge was mainly used by streetcars., Up to the mid-1920s, less than a dozen families lived in the Bowness area. As a result, the streetcar service was primarily used by Calgarians heading to Bowness Park to picnic or camp. Very popular during the depression, the park would often have crowds numbering 4,000 on Sundays. This required up to two streetcars with trailers on a fifteen minute schedule., Although the Calgary Municipal Railway suffered financially during the post-boom years, it was not abandoned and continued to provide Calgarians with public transport until 1950, when the line was closed and the bridge turned over to vehicular traffic., By modern standards it is a narrow bridge with barely enough room for two lanes of traffic and sidewalks. Over the years numerous mirrors were smashed as cars passed on the bridge. In 1985, City Council approved construction of a new two-lane concrete bridge to meet demands of modern vehicular needs., Although horse and buggy are gone, the bridge will once again be used by pedestrians and bicyclists now that it has been incorporated into the Canada Olympic Park Pathway system as part of Calgary's Olympic Legacy.